Triple Trouble
by i'm a faller
Summary: Sequel to Levitation Rises! Bill needs Dipper and Mabel's help. What's more surprising is that they might even need his, after uncovering a secret about themselves that could possibly destroy the universe.
1. It Begins

**Bill**

I watched the others sleep. I wished I could be resting, too. Instead of staring into the inky darkness that stretched forever.

But I sensed that it was time to do something. And not just because I was itching with boredom. I felt like it was time. Time to wake the others.

**Blake**

I felt something stirring inside of me. At last, I was awake! My icy casing began to slip into the Void below. I stretched my sore, cramped muscles and warmth began to seep into me.

After being trapped in ice for several millennia, even the bland temperature of the Void felt hot. I wanted to surround myself in the cold again, maybe sleep for another thousand years, but since I was awake, I knew that wasn't an option.

Bill was floating in front of me. I looked to my left to see that Bryan was sitting upright and rubbing his head. Why did Bill wake us up? He probably just got bored. But demons like us were not just something to use for personal entertainment.

"So, what's up Bill?" Bryan questioned.

"The time to fulfill the prophecy approaches," Bill said in his weird deep voice.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. It sounded vaguely familiar, but I guess I forgot whatever it was during the last few thousand years.

"How can you forget? The prophecy we've been expecting our entire lives!" he shouted. His high-pitched, annoying voice had returned, echoing into the nothingness we were trapped in. A glowing blue circle surrounded by symbols formed around him. A pine tree, a question mark, Pac-Man, a bag of ice, scarred heart, glasses, shooting star, llama, star, and a six-fingered hand. Then I remembered. It was the one to break Bill's curse.

"Oh! That one!" Bryan realized. "So does that mean the Ciphers are back in business?" he smirked.

"That's exactly what it means," I said, smiling at my brothers.

**Bryan**

I had to admit I was really excited to get out of my electric shell. My muscles were still pretty stiff from being trapped in lightning for what seemed like (and easily could've been) eternity. I glanced up at Bill, who was fixing his bow tie.

"What are we waiting for?" I inquired.

"Bill to shape-shift into human form," Blake replied. At those words, Bill morphed into his former self. "Also for you," he added.

"Oh, yeah! Heh heh, sorry..." I trailed off. "Where to?"

Bill groaned. "Gravity Falls!" he and Blake yelled in unison.

I searched my mind for the location of Gravity Falls. Once I found it, I opened the seldom used tunnel through the multiverse that led to our desired point in space.

"After you!" I joked, following my brothers through the dark, eery passageway.

**Dipper**

"Who's that?" Mabel squealed. Her eyes were lit up like when she saw a guy she liked. I rolled my eyes before following her finger with my vision. It was some tall, pale teenager wearing a white suit with a purple tie, collar, pockets, and buttons. His pants kept the same snow white color, but his black converse broke the trend. His hair was white, too. It kinda reminded me of Gideon, with the suit and the white hair. Except this guy's hung somewhat messily in his face, although it was still brushed neatly.

"Never talk to strangers. Now let's leave before something bad happens," Grunkle Stan stated. He looked a little nervous. It was weird.

Just then, two more guys came down the street and started talking to the one in white.

One of them had completely messy brown hair and a metallic silver suit with turquoise embellishments. The other had neck length blonde hair with small streaks of gold. He wore a black top hat, gold-ish bow tie, and a jet black suit with gold embroidery, along with an eyepatch.

Stan was twiddling his thumbs in anxiety, but Mabel was squeaking like a hyperventilating hamster. Even though they were across the street, I was able to hear them say something about finding Pine Tree and Shooting Star first.

"We should, uh, probably get out of here. Now!" Stan ordered. Then he hurriedly ran away. I wasn't sure what he was headed towards. Just away.

"Well that was weird," Mabel said.

"Yeah," I agreed. I couldn't help but feel suspicious. "Maybe we should get out of here." Seeing Stan so nervous worried me.

"No way! Are you seeing how hot those guys are?" she exclaimed.

"Mabel! Snap out of it! Have you realized a pattern?" I started. "All the guys you liked and 'dated' turned out being something weird and supernatural. The gnomes, Mermando, and I think it's fair to least call Gideon at abnormal." But she was already halfway across the street. Why did this always happen?

Just as Mabel reached the other side of the road, I realized something. When we first ran into Bill, didn't he mention something about a shooting star and a pine tree? I gulped. If this was set up by Bill, then we were in trouble...

**Mabel**

I was pretty sure my mouth was wide open, but I didn't care. I heard what Dipper said about all of those guys, but I didn't care about that, either.

They seemed like they were glowing. Maybe they were. All of a sudden, one turned around. The one in the black suit. I swear I almost fainted.

"Found Shooting Star!" he announced in a creepily familiar voice. "Now where's Pine Tree?"

The other two dashed over to Dipper, who was almost to this side of the road. He looked kind of confused. I'll admit, I was pretty confused too.

"Here he is!" the one in silver grinned.

The one standing next to me, the one who said something about a shooting star and a pine tree gripped my shoulder.

"Bryan?" he urged.

"Here we go!" the one in the silver exclaimed. I looked over at them. They were still with Dipper, and the one in white was holding his shoulder.

All of a sudden, we were somewhere in the middle of the woods.

Now I knew how I recognized the guy's voice. Vibe cause he wasn't there. In his place was Bill.


	2. Explanations

**Bill**

They didn't trust us. I knew they wouldn't. But I wasn't giving them options, they were going to help us, whether they liked it or not.

"What do you want with us?" Shooting Star yelled.

"Relax, Shooting- uh, Mabel," I said. "We just need your help."

"Why would you need our help?!" Pine Tree shouted. He winced as Blake twisted his arm. "And who are these guys?" He pointed to Blake and Bryan.

I sighed. "Let me explain. A long time ago, like, a really long time ago, about the time the universe was created, so was a prophecy. When you think of a prophecy, you probably usually think of some poetic riddle or something, am I right?" I began. The twins nodded. "Well this prophecy was a picture. And I am currently led to believe that you two are one of the most important elements necessary to fulfill it."

I formed the image of the circle containing ten symbols around me. The twins gawked at the glowing icons.

Pine Tree broke the silence. "That still doesn't answer any of our questions," he demanded.

I noticed Bryan floating idly and playing with a ball of lightning he held in his hand. He nudged some hair off of his face with his free hand.

"Okay. This here's Bryan," I said. Bryan looked up with a start. His silver suit shone with reflecting light as he jerked upward. When he realized what was going on, he gave a small simper before refocusing on his little electricity trick. "And this is Blake," I continued the introductions. The corner of his mouth tugged into a slight smile on his pale face. "You already know me. We need your help because the prophecy can't be fulfilled without all the components. You two are major ones," I concluded. A pretty good explanation if I do say so myself.

"Why is he floating?" Shooting Star wondered, motioning to Bryan.

"Yeah! And why are you so determined to 'fulfill the prophecy' or whatever?" Pine Tree questioned.

"Ugh! Details, details..." I moaned. "I guess this will involve a more in-depth explanation of things."

**Blake**

These kids were really starting to get on my nerves. I didn't care how badly we needed them. They asked too many questions.

"Listen up. If you want us to explain what's going on, then agree to help us," I finally requested. I wasn't the master of the mind but I still knew how to strike a deal. Hopefully.

The boy, Pine Tree, looked thoughtfully at the ground for a minute. Blue tongues of flame licked up Bill's arm. At last, Pine Tree held out his hand. Bill grabbed it and shook it gently. The small inferno spread across both forearms as they did this. It vanished when their arms dropped to their sides.

"Now it's your turn," Pine Tree said.

For some reason, Bill and Bryan both looked at me. I guess a good place to start would be Bill's curse. "So, I guess I'll begin approximately three millennia ago, the last time all three of us were summoned," I said.

Pine Tree cut me off. I really, really did not like these kids. "Who summoned you this time?" he asked, so far unhappy that he'd agreed to this. He folded his arms.

"Please save all questions until after the explanation!" Bryan announced. I glared at the twins.

"Thank you, Bryan," I said. "No one summoned us this time. We came here to fulfill the prophecy," I answered. "Anyways, almost three thousand years ago, we were summoned here by a previous owner of the mystic amulet, the one that Star somehow got a hold of." Upon seeing the looks of confusion on their faces, I added, "You might know him better as Gideon," before going on. "He wanted us to do something that we thought might effect the prophecy later on. We weren't sure what it meant at the time, though. So he cursed Bill, somehow turning him into . Which is why he's a triangle now. And then the prophecy started making more sense, considering it centered around an image of him in that state. Did I mention the only way to undo a curse is to fulfill a prophecy which includes the cursed one? And not everyone's part of a prophecy. You have to be alive at the right time on the right planet in the right universe. At the moment we believe you represent the pine tree and shooting star." That was over with. Onto the next one. "And now for why Bryan was floating. I think he'd want to explain that one to you."

**Bryan**

It felt so refreshing to be awake and out of the Void, especially in a place like Gravity Falls. I stood from my sitting position, except with my feet now on the ground. I hadn't even realized I'd been hovering; it just happened.

I let the electricity in my hand fizzle out. "Now, more about us," I said. "First off. We're demons." I glanced shamefully at the ground. "But it's not like we had a choice. We too were created bazillions of years ago along with the universe. I'm in charge of lightning and space. Not outer space, like with stars and moons and planets and all that good stuff, but the multiverse, which is basically all the infinite universes and stuff like that. I'm like an instant teleportation device. As you've probably realized, Bill's got fire and the mind. And Blake has the ice and time department. Together we control the three essential physical and non-physical elements. But being a demon doesn't necessarily make us evil. It just means that our dark sides are more prone to showing through than a human's. It's like our Yin out-balances our Yang. Also we can never die. Sadly," I finished.

Pine Tree seemed to process all the information that had just been thrown at him okay. Shooting Star, on the other hand, looked like she was having a bit of a hard time.

"So you want to fulfill the prophecy so Bill can return to the way he was before he got cursed, am I correct?" Pine Tree checked. Blake nodded.

"Yeah. He used to be how you saw him with us in the town," he said.

"One more thing," I heard Bill say. Pine Tree looked curiously in his direction. "The journals. I believe they should have been under our ownership. Right now they belong to you, Dipper, your uncle, and Gideon." So that was Pine Tree's real name! It was almost weirder than Pine Tree.

"Wait, Stan has a journal?" Dipper asked.

"Yep. The first one. The one that should belong to me," Bill told him.

"The one Star, I mean Gideon, has is supposed to belong to me," Blake said.

"And yours would've been mine," I explained.

**Dipper**

So Stan had a journal. Apparently, he had Volume 1. So that meant all the times he told me to 'quit reading that fantasy stuff', it was all just an act! He actually did believe me! And did the guy in the silver just say that my journal was supposed to belong to him?

Oh well. I didn't know if I should trust them or not. But now I had no choice. Plus there was a look of sincerity in their eyes, all five of them.

"So now what do we do?" I asked.

"Get the others, of course!" the guy in white, who's name was Blake, I guess said. I could tell he didn't like us. I didn't know why, I could just tell.

"Who are the others?" Mabel wondered.

"Do you always ask this many questions?" Blake shouted. A bit of color entered his usually colorless face. "Sorry," he said, looking slightly embarrassed. "I need to work on controlling that dang temper!"

"We can only guess," Bryan responded. "We're pretty sure who most of them are, though."

Something that looked like a tear appeared in the middle of the air. In the torn hole was a moving image of Grunkle Stan looking around worriedly. "He's one," Bryan said. The image changed to Wendy, who was talking to her brothers. I wasn't able to hear a word she said, because the scene was muted. When the it changed to Soos, I gave the silver clad demon a quick evil eye for changing the image from Wendy. He shrugged defensively and changed it to Robbie. He was peeking through some bushes, probably trying to find Wendy. Then it changed to Gideon, pouting in an orange jumpsuit on a cot in a small room. It took me a moment to realize that he was in prison. I snickered.

Bryan snapped his fingers and the rip healed. It hit me that we'd been watching what all of them had been doing right now, through some sort of wormhole. Weird.

"And then there's you two," Bryan said. "Here's the ones we're not as sure about."

The hole reopened. The people we viewed this time were Manly Dan, Old Man McGucket, Toby, and Sheriff Blubs. Blake said something about not being able to figure out which one was and wasn't a part of this between the last two.

"So who do we get first?" I asked.

**Mabel**

My brain hurt. I had a couple questions. I just hoped my head had enough room for the answers.

"If you can turn into your old form, why not just stay like that? And why do you want to change back? If its just to help you, why are they here?" The questions poured out of my mouth.

"If I shapeshift into something, my max time limit is an hour and a half. If I go past that, I get banished to this place of nothingness, called the Void, for a hundred years. Not like a hundred feels too terribly long, considering we've been around since the beginning of time. I want to change back because otherwise I'd just stay awake in the Void (we live there), and it's boring. I can leave to the real world, but I can't do anything unless I get summoned or use a passageway created by Bryan. Which is why I'm on the verge of insanity. And I know practically everything. Trust me on this; there's some things you'd _prefer _to be left unknown. And one of the reasons we chose to get you first was because we thought you'd be the most likely to understand what siblings do for one another," Bill explained patiently.

"You three are brothers?" Dipper asked. He had a lot of questions.

"Um, yeah! Bill, Blake, and Bryan Cipher!" Blake said.

"Let's go," I said, satisfied.

Bryan opened another hole. Bill morphed into the boy in the black and gold suit. Blake stepped through the opening and had to duck to fit through. His brothers followed him, and so did Dipper. Then I stepped through the hole, having no idea what to expect next.


	3. Mind Blown

**Bill**

I wiggled my fingers. It was weird having normal body parts again.

I looked around. Tall trees surrounded a dilapidated, wooden shack. The Mystery Shack. I never thought I'd have to come here again. I never wanted to.

I crossed my arms and followed my brothers into a small clearing. The twins caught up to us.

"So, who are we getting first?!" Pine Tree asked impatiently.

I tapped my fingers anxiously against my pants. "Stan, Soos, and Wendy are usually here, right?" I gulped. I was going to have to go in there, wasn't I?

"So one of them?" he double checked.

"Yeah," I said. "Here goes nothing."

**Blake**

I knew Bill wasn't happy about coming back here. He had bad memories of this place. But we had to go in. For Bill's sake. Also it was still strange having a brother that was a triangle, so I wanted him back. I'm sure Bryan felt the same way.

I heard water somewhere nearby. I turned to the source of the sound. A man who I instantly recognized as Question Mark had just started to water some plants.

He looked at me, which triggered an internal panic. Three thousand years of social deprivation shows.

"'Sup dudes," he greeted. "Why is Mr. Pines so freaked out? And who are your friends?" I was relieved I didn't have to talk to him. He seemed more annoying than Shooting Star and Pine Tree.

"Soos first?" Pine Tree whispered to Bill, who nodded.

"Wait, the guy in black seems vaguely familiar..." Question Mark murmured.

Oh yeah! Question Mark had followed Bill into the old man's mind along with the twins! So the first three people we get remember Bill. And they have a bad impression of him. I know this because Bill tells Bryan and I a lot of things. He's in control of the mind, so he can still communicate with us while we're asleep. Through telepathy, or something similar.

"Soos, we want to introduce you to our... friends," Pine Tree offered.

"Okay," he said, dropping the watering can. He ambled over to the five of us.

"This is Blake," Pine Tree started. I waved. "This is Bryan," Bryan grinned. "And this is Bill!" Bill tipped his hat and began fiddling with his bow tie again.

"You mean like Bill the triangle guy?" Question Mark asked. No wonder he was called Question Mark. He asked a lot of questions.

"Yes, like Bill the triangle guy!" Bill replied sardonically, twisting into his pyramidical state.

"Ah! It's the triangle guy!" Question Mark shouted.

Bill slapped his face.

"Soos. Stay here. We need you," Pine Tree told him.

"Don't worry, bro! I'll save you!" Question Mark yelled.

"No! Calm down! Just listen," Pine Tree yelled back.

"Uh, are you sure about this?" Question Mark asked nervously.

We gave him the same explanation as we gave the twins in the forest. He seemed to understand it even less than Shooting Star.

"You trust them, right dudes?" he asked. Pine Tree and Shooting Star nodded. He still looked nervous.

"I heard some serious screaming out here! What's going on?" a girl's voice called out. A tall teenager poked her head out from behind a tree. She was the girl I knew Pine Tree had a major crush on.

**Bryan**

It was Ice. Well now we had four of them. We still needed six more. And then we needed to figure out what to do.

"Bryan, stay here. We'll get Stan," Blake told me. He just didn't want me messing stuff up. I understood.

I looked over at Blake and Bill. Bill was no longer a pyramid. I'm guessing he changed back when Ice appeared.

"Shooting Star, Pine Tree, and Question Mark have to come along to convince him," Blake said.

"Maybe we should, uh, get Scarred Heart first..." Bill suggested. I rolled my eyes.

"Then Stan," Pine Tree demanded. Bill nodded reluctantly.

"Scarred Heart? What are you talking about? Who are you people?" Ice asked.

"You can trust them!" Shooting Star assured her before leaving with Blake, Bill, and Pine Tree.

"Seriously though. What's going on?" she pried.

"My name's Bryan. The one in white is my brother Blake. The other one is my other brother, Bill. Basically, we need you, your ex, your boss, your coworker, the twins, and various others. I'll explain more when they get back," I said, roughly explaining our situation.

"Why?" she asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes.

"I told you, I'd explain more later!" I could feel myself getting angry and beginning to float off the ground. I calmed myself. I hated my temper. Being a demon, it came out way too easily.

"Okay. My name's Wendy," she said, surprisingly unagitated. Now I understood why she represented the ice. She kept her cool. I was jealous of her for that.

We stood there awkwardly for several minutes. I could tell why Pine Tree had a crush on her. She was pretty.

"Why are you wearing a suit?" she asked randomly.

The question took me by surprise. It had been silent for so long, the way I was used to it being. "Oh, uh, this old thing?" I managed, unsure of what to say. "I, uh-"

"You have no idea, do you?" she interrupted. I managed to keep my temper under control.

"No. Not a clue," I agreed, staring at the bright silver and greenish blue.

"Where are you from? I haven't seen you around town," she stated.

"I actually just got here. Today," I informed her.

"Cool."

"Ta-da!" a familiar voice rang out. Blake entered the clearing, smiled, and brought out a tied up Scarred Heart.

Bill appeared on the other side of the black-clad boy.

Wendy groaned.

**Dipper**

I hoped Bryan hadn't been messing with Wendy. And on a completely different subject, why was Bill so reluctant to get Stan?

"Let go of me!" Robbie yelled. "Wait, Wendy? Is that you?"

"Get away from me," Wendy grumbled.

Blake and Bill shoved Robbie towards Bryan and Wendy. He landed on his face, which made me happy.

"Pine Tree, come on! We've got to get your uncle!" Blake barked. I knew he was talking to me.

I turned and scurried over to the group that was made up of Soos, Mabel, and the two demons.

"Let me refresh my time really quick," Bill said. He changed into Bill the triangle guy for a few seconds before returning to the guy in the black suit. "That's better."

We exited the trees, only to enter the Mystery Shack parking lot.

"Maybe _I_ can watch Ice and Scarred Heart, and _Bryan _can come with you guys!" Bill suggested anxiously.

"No way. You're coming with us, whether you like it or not," Blake defied.

Bill gulped and drummed his fingers against each other. "Why are you so nervous to go in there anyways?" I finally asked. The question had been nagging at me for a while now.

"I'll tell you later, kid," he said.

The short walk to the Shack seemed like it took forever due to the ominous silence that no one dared to break. Until we reached the Shack.

"Dipper, Mabel, Soos," Blake began, glancing at each of us as he said our name. "You three go in first. Just to get Stan ready."

"Here goes nothing," I muttered.

"Here goes _something_! I'm hilarious!" Mabel said in her usual, loud voice. Soos gave her a high five. How could two people be so idiotic? I just rolled my eyes and opened the door.

"Oh, hey! Kids. And Soos," Grunkle Stan welcomed. "Did you talk to any strangers?"

"Actually, yes!" Mabel said it like it was the revelation of the century. "And we want to introduce therm to you!" she chirped.

With those words, Blake and Bill entered the room. It reminded me of the day Mabel brought Norman home.

"Stan," Bill said, crossing his arms and twisting his head around.

"Bill," Stan said tensely, doing the same thing.

**Mabel**

Whoa. Bill and Grunkle Stan knew each other? Mind = blown!

Everyone just kind of stood there in an uncomfortably tense silence for a while. Blake tugged on Bill's jet black sleeve, reminding him of our purpose here.

"You two know each other?!" Dipper exclaimed right as Bill opened his mouth to speak.

"Yes," Bill responded flatly. "Stan Pines. We meet again. And unfortunately, I'm going to have to ask you to come with us."

"What makes you think I would?" Stan said. "And give me back the kids."

"Not a chance. They agreed to help us," Blake butted in.

"No one was talking to you. I don't even know you," Stan said.

"Of course you don't..." Blake whispered in a barely audible voice.

Grunkle Stan looked at him funny. "Kids, you didn't _actually_ agree to _help_ them, did you?" he asked us. He sounded really worried. I was starting to freak.

"We did. I trust them," Dipper replied calmly.

"They're smart enough to know what to do. Maybe you've changed. I don't know. But I trust them. So I'll give you a second chance," Grunkle Stan declared, though still with a glimmer of uncertainty in eyes.


	4. Things Happen

**Bill**

When we returned, Ice and Scarred Heart were grappling on the forest floor. Bryan was timidly trying to pull them apart.

"What is going on?" I yelled.

"Bryan! What on earth are you doing?" Blake asked frustratedly as he ran over to the three of them.

"What does it look like?" Bryan shouted.

Blake shied away. "Watch it," he murmured.

Bryan tore the wrestlers apart and flung them aside. He breathed heavily and a hint of fear flickered in his eyes.

"Sorry," he said quietly. "I need to watch my temper. The slightest thing sets me off," he explained, embarrassed. He was easily the gentlest and nicest of the three of us, but he had the worst temper.

"I'm thinking I'll go get Gideon (Star) next. I'll go by myself and in this form. I have a feeling I'll do better under those circumstances," I announced, turning back into a pyramid.

Not only would Star recognize me better as a pyramid, but it would also give me a chance to rest. Shapeshifting was really energy draining.

Bryan flicked his wrist, and a hole appeared in midair. I saw the creepy little kid pacing in a grey, cement room while muttering something under his breath.

"Keep watch over us and open a portal back here when I give you the signal," I ordered.

Bryan nodded.

I zoomed through the hole and found myself in Star's prison cell. He jumped back in surprise at my sudden entrance.

"How's life, half-pint?" I joked. "I see you managed to smuggle in plenty of hairspray!"

"Wha- Bill? What are doin' here?!" he yelled.

"Relax! I just came to make sure you fill your end of the bargain!" I said casually, referring to when he asked me to get the code to Stan's safe. I wasn't going to let him not come with me.

"I do believe I called that deal off!" he roared.

"Suit yourself. It's not like you're going anywhere without my help though. And neither is that book you had," I mentioned.

His eyes fluttered around the small, square room.

"Have fun! I have better things to do than sit around waiting for some kid to make up his mind," I said. I wasn't going to leave, though. Not until he agreed to help me.

"Ya know what? Fine," he spat. "I'll help you."

"Good choice!" I exclaimed. Blue tongues of flame danced around on my arms. I laughed maniacally. I saw a hole open up beside me. I gave a silent thanks to Bryan.

I grabbed the kid by the arm and yanked him back thorough the opening.

**Blake**

When they returned, Star did not look happy. He looked around at everyone. Bryan was floating upside down, Pine Tree and Shooting Star were glaring at him, Scarred Heart was staring at Ice from across the clearing, Ice was turned away from Scarred Heart, Question Mark and Crescent Moon/Pacman guy were talking to each other, and I was standing there with my arms crossed, probably looking slightly menacing.

"Bill! What is this?" Star demanded.

Bill floated over to Bryan and spun him into an upright position. "This is what I need help with. Long story short, I had the last three thousand years to figure out that I need them, you, and various others to turn back into this," Bill summarized as he morphed into his human-like form.

"Any of you dudes want to get something to eat? I'm hungry and it's lunchtime!" Question Mark said out of nowhere. Everyone agreed. Everyone except for us Ciphers, that is. As immortal demons, we don't need food to sustain our energy. Now that I thought about it, I don't think I've ever eaten anything in my life.

I walked over to Bill and Bryan. "We can't just have all of them walking around in search of food. One might run away or get lost or something," I whispered.

"You think we should go with them? I've always wanted to do something like a normal person!" Bryan said quietly.

"We know," I sighed. Bryan's constantly wishing he was a human instead of a demon. I don't blame him. Everyone thinks of demons as evil monsters, but the truth is that our dark side just outweighs our light one. And its not like we got to choose what we wanted to be. None of us liked being seen as evil. But sometimes we can't help if if we seem a little vicious.

"Let's go to the diner!" I heard Shooting Star suggest.

"As opposed to where exactly?" Scarred Heart pointed out. I heard someone kick his shin. Probably Ice. "Ow!" he whined.

"Let's go, then," Bill said, drifting to the ground along with Bryan. He was still in his humanoid shape.

"Let's go!" Shooting Star declared.

**Bryan**

No floating, no lightning, no space warping. I was really excited to go to a normal human facility, despite the rules. Shooting Star opened the door to the diner as everyone entered. She glared menacingly at Star and Scarred Heart as they shoved past her.

I entered cautiously. I just hoped I didn't tart floating out of nervousness. Sometimes I couldn't really control it. I just started floating.

I followed the optimistic girl to a counter. A few waiters and waitresses trudged around on the other side. The place was practically empty, except for a few random people scattered throughout.

As I sat down, I realized how such a big group of people that didn't all get along with each other could be suspicious. But no one seemed to give us a second glance, even with the fat kid in the orange jumpsuit.

A round lady with big grey hair walked over to us. She wore heavy blue eyeshadow, which was obvious due to one eye being closed in an eternal wink. I shifted in my seat.

"Hello! What would you like to order today?" the woman asked, putting an odd emphasis on the words _you_ and _today_.

"Uh, I'll have a burger, I guess..." Stan muttered. He seemed more out of practice than me. He should get some kind of award for that.

The lady scribbled something down on a pad of paper and moved on to the next person. I felt a strange, nervous heat sneak up on me as she moves closer.

I'd never eaten anything ever, yet alone ordered food from some woman I didn't know. I tugged at the collar of my suit.

I felt myself begin to slowly rise off the seat. I forced my butt down as soon as I realized it was up. Why was I so nervous? I just had to say what I wanted. I realized the only people I'd ever spoken to directly before the few words with Ice were Bill and Blake. Unless my part of the explanation of what was going on in the forest counted.

Finally it was my turn. Bill had done it with ease; on one of his few trips out here, I'm sure he's done this before. Or at least seen enough people do it.

She gave me a smile. I'd decided on what most everyone else had ordered, because I wasn't that familiar with the options here. I told her I wanted a cheeseburger, whatever the heck that was. It was almost depressing that I had no idea what a cheeseburger looked like.

She walked away to a back room, and I fingered my wallet that sat in my pants pocket. I pulled out a dollar bill and grinned at seeing Bill on the backside of it. Minus the hat, tie, arms, and legs of course, but still Bill. Maybe that's why it was called a dollar _bill_.

_Oh Bill, you have so much influence, _I thought. Somehow, even the thought that Blake and I got zero recognition didn't bother me. Usually, that upset me. Bill couldn't go anywhere without me. But now, for some crazy reason, the one thing occupying my mind was the girl. Ice. Wendy._  
_

She looked about my age. Minus infinity. But she was about fifteen or sixteen, and I looked about sixteen or seventeen. I remembered Pine Tree. He pretty much loved her more than anything else. I felt kind of guilty for thinking about her. Just thinking about her. I was so weird.

The one-eyed lady came out carrying trays of food. She set a couple a red plastic trays down, and we passed the grub out amongst ourselves.

A white paper plate was slid to me from across the bar. On it sat a circle of meat with roundish pieces of bread on either side. Lettuce, tomato, and onions found their part in the meal.

I took a bite, and the grease covered the inside of my mouth. It was strange how much I enjoyed it. But a bad feeling swept in afterwards.

**Dipper**

I still didn't totally trust those three, but something told me I didn't have a choice other than to do what they told us.

I'd never seen Gideon like this. Usually the kid loved attention, but now he was avoiding all eye contact. Plus Bill had changed his appearance on the way over, not wanting people to recognize him.

Anyway, as soon as I finished my burger, I noticed that the Ciphers didn't look so good. Blake's face was miraculously paler than before, and Bryan clutched his stomach with a grimace on his face. Bill seemed fine. But I saw their stomachs rippling like when Tyrone drank the soda on the roof. A flash of discomfort registered on Bill's face, but it was gone as soon as it appeared, which made me doubt that it was even there. Blake's mouth stretched into a frown, and his abdomen stopped rippling. Bryan, however, began hyperventilating and shaking until it stopped on him too. It was weird.

"Now who do we find?" Bill wondered, as if he didn't notice the ordeal twitch just happened.

"Wait, wait, wait. What just happened?" Mabel's voice rang out.

"That's what happens when we eat," he explained. He pointed at the other two. "They've never eaten before, so they didn't know what to expect."

"That's weird," Mabel mumbled.

"But seriously. I vote for the Hand!" the demon suggested.

"The Hand?" Mabel and I asked in unison.

"Old Man McGucket," he said like it was obvious.

"What does he have to do with the Hand on the journals?" I asked. I had a sneaking suspicion, but I just wanted to confirm it.

"You kids don't know anything do you? Stan, why did you not tell them anything?!" he shouted. "McGucket wrote the journals. I think I need him, too."

"Stan knows this stuff?! What's happening?" I demanded. "And how do you know each other?"

"Shut up. Stop asking questions!" Bill ordered. "And I don't think I should be the one to explain that."

**Mabel**

"Okay, alright," Grunkle Stan grumbled after a quick glare from Blake. "But can we go somewhere private and away from all of them?" he whispered.

"Okie dokie," Bryan said, snapping his fingers. Yet another hole opened up.

I was extremely befuddled. Befuddled. That's a funny word!

Next thing I knew Dipper was pulling me by the arm through some wormhole deal. We found ourselves in an inky black expanse that seemed to stretch forever.

"Whoa!" I murmured in awe. "Where _are_ we?"

Bryan's head appeared out of nowhere.

"This private enough for you?" he smirked.

"Yeah, but you didn't have to send us all the way to the Void!" Grunkle Stan exclaimed.

"Good point!" the demon said before leaving.

"Okay. You two need a little history lesson," our uncle began.

"Grunkle Stan, I don't think this is the time for stories!" Dipper muttered agitatedly.

"Well this isn't just any story, kid. It's _family_ history. You can't learn this stuff no matter how many books you poke your head into," he told us. "Okay, so, a long time ago, there was a man named Ananias. Ananias Pines. He was created at the exact same moment as Bill and his brothers. He, too, was a demon. The Ciphers are immortal as you've probably realized. But Ananias wasn't. So eventually he died and his energy was transferred into two new twin beings: Henry and Adam. Eventually they transformed into twins, and those twins turned into twins. You get the picture. The youngest generation of Pines twins currently are you two. Your father was a twin, and so was I. We were all demons. So are you." His voice trailed off into silence, and neither Dipper nor I had anything to say for the moment.

"What does it mean?" Dipper squeaked, barely audible.

"It means that we are the most powerful mortal beings to ever exist," Stan stated simply. "And Mabel." He turned to me. "I'm not totally sure if you have the demonic powers. You don't really seem to have a dark side, and you're the first girl Pines twin. Ever."

My insides felt numb. I just stared into the darkness until it hurt.

"One more thing," he added. This caught my attention. "Gideon. You know his amulet? That was the Demon Stone, which allowed him to control any immortal demons. It also let him levitate stuff. Stuff like that. I was relieved when someone destroyed it. Previously, I'd only known of Bill, not either of the other two. Plus Bill and I have unfinished business." He trailed off again, leaving us guessing at what happened.

My stomach churned. I might need a refund on that hamburger.

"So what do we control? Like, you know, Bill has fire and the mind, Blake has ice and time, and Bryan has lightning and space. What do we have?" Dipper pried. I figured he'd ask enough questions sooner or later so that we'd both get to know what we wanted to.

"Mortal demons are weaker than immortal ones. So I'm in charge of the luck department, and that's about it. I don't really know what you'd control. Everyone is different. I'd say you probably have something to do with curiosity or perseverance," he explained.

More silence. It seemed to stretch for the same eternity that was the emptiness which surrounded us.

"We should probably go back now," Dipper suggested.

Everyone agreed.


	5. The Hand And The Glasses

**Bill**

Stan and the twins exited the Void through the hole Bryan had ever so kindly left open for them. Shooting Star and Pine Tree's faces were a shade of white I didn't even know a human being could be. But then again, they _had_ just found out that they _weren't_ human beings. Well, not exactly.

While they were gone, Bryan, Blake and I had a discussion on who the glasses could possibly be. Toby Determined and Sheriff Blubs didn't quite match. There was one person though who's glasses were identical, though. I hadn't seen him in what felt like an eternity. But I remembered him like he never left.

"Kids, how about another family history lesson?" I smirked.

"Bill! What're you sayin'?" Stan exclaimed. "If you mean what I think you mean, your insane! He'll never work with you! I'm only here to protect the kids, and ya know he has no idea who they are, and even if he did, he'd know that there in safe hands," he ranted.

"I'm not giving him options!" I bellowed, using my deep, slow voice. Then, returning it to regular, "And anyway. I thought we agreed we'd be getting Hand first."

"_You_ agreed," Stan spat.

"We'll we're getting both of them, whether you like it or not!" I whined.

"So are we going to the junkyard then?" Bryan asked.

I nodded. "Let's go."

**Blake**

This was going to be fun! And easy! Convincing the same old man who kept and researched our secrets and identities all while playing incredibly dumb to join our cause! I'm not sure whether I'm being sarcastic or not!

I sighed and walked through the doorway. To a normal person, it would've been a temperate day, at about 76 degrees, but to me it was scorching hot. That's what I liked about the Void; how cool it was. My brothers weren't huge fans of the place, but I didn't see what there was to not like about it. I guess being demons of heat and light emanating substances, they'd probably like it better if it was, well, hotter and lighter.

"Junkyard's not too far from here," Bill whispered to me. I nodded.

We reached it soon enough. The man we were looking for was doing some sort of strange dance on top of an old car when our group arrived.

"Doodly doo doo- Gah!" he sang, choking up when he saw us. "Well lookie here! There seems to be some sorta peculiar dino-sawyer!" I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, McGucket! We get it! Jig's up!" Bill announced.

"The jig's not over yet!" he screeched. He began doing the same strange dance as before.

"No! Not the dance, idiot! We know who you are," Bill explained frustratedly.

Hand seemed to look sad for a moment. "Ya told 'em?" he squealed. "I thought we had an agreement." He appeared suddenly sane, and, even though I knew him for who he was, it was still slightly unsettling.

"We did, but the prophecy needs to be fulfilled. Soon," Bill told him.

"Oh. Okie dokie then!" He clambered down from the car and waltzed over to us. "Howdy there! What's yer name?" He held out his hand in front of me.

"I'm Blake. Blake Cipher. So you've seriously never heard of me?" I introduced.

"Nyope!" he stated. Why should he know me? Bill's only visited him about a _hundred_ times! Sometimes, I'm sick of being the behind the scenes guy, the one who does a lot of the work and gets absolutely zero credit from his ungrateful little brother!

He moved on to Bryan.

"Yeah, hi. I'm, uh, Bryan Cipher, their brother," he said, motioning to Bill and I.

"I reckon the rest of y'all know me and I know you. Now who else were we planning to get today?" the old man asked.

**Bryan**

We still needed Glasses and Llama. We were off to get one of them. Today had been a pretty productive day in my opinion.

"You guys do realize that we can't just walk up to his door and demand that he comes with us, right?" Stan argued.

"I don't see why not?" Blake defended.

"I do. A, he won't come, and B, I have no idea where he is," Crescent Moon pointed out. I think I'll just call him Fez from now on. It suits him.

"True. But I'm sure we can find him somehow," I said nonchalantly.

"Hey McGucket! Do you know where he is?" Bill inquired.

"If ya mean the one who's watchin' me, then not a clue!" he replied.

Blake groaned. "It's really not that hard, you guys! Stan, why don't you just do that telepathic thingy you two can do?" he suggested.

"I tried it earlier," Fez sighed. "I couldn't find him."

"Why don't you let Bill take a crack at it?" I shrugged.

"Good luck with that!" Fez snorted.

Bill inhaled deeply. He flickered back to his triangular self. His lone eye remained closed. I couldn't faintly feel his presence in my mind as he spread his energy into searching the mindscape of this universe.

The mindscape is like a big layout of all things that exist in a certain universe. It's really advanced magic, and not many people are able to fully reach it. Fez can take a glimpse into it, but Bill can see the whole thing. It's really neat, actually. It's how everyone's minds are connected.

Suddenly, Bill's eye burst open. The pupil was gone, replaced by an otherworldly glow surrounding the optic.

I knew that he found the man he was looking for.

**Dipper**

I. Was. CONFUSED! What on earth was happening? And who was this mysterious 'he' the others kept referring to? So many questions...

I couldn't tell if the wind was coming from the triangle guy or towards him, but it was powerful and made for an equally powerful sense of vertigo. I wasn't sure exactly what was happening, but I got that it was about as chaotic as heck.

And then it ended. Just like that. The winds subsided, the glow around Bill's eye ceased, and a feeling of utter peace and serenity compared to what just happened ensued.

"I know where he is," Bill informed us. "And it's going to be a long trip there."

"Oh great. I was hoping I'd never see him again!" Grunkle Stan grumbled.

"Okay. That's it, guys. I've had enough with the secrecy! Just someone come out and tell me who you're talking about!" I screamed.

"Geez, patience! You'll find out soon, kid. Too soon," Stan said, patting me on the back.

I sighed. I guess I'd just have to wait it out, even though Bill said that the trip there would be a long one. Darn my impatience.

"You! Lightning fingers!" Stan snapped.

Bryan spun around. "I have a name, you know!" he retorted.

"Sorry. I know. It's just that I forgot it and I'm too lazy to remember," Stan told him. Bryan rolled his eyes. "Why don't you just open a portal doohickey to wherever he is?"

"'Cause I'm way too exhausted to do any more magic for a while," he yawned.

"How about you call this 'he' person by his name?" I suggested.

"The word he is shorter. And I don't like calling him by his name anyway. Now shut your yaps!" Stan barked.

* * *

It was amazing how many people could fit into Stan's convertable when they wanted to. Stan, Soos, Wendy, Mabel, Bryan and I were all crammed into the vehicle.

"Isn't this like, against some sort of law?" Wendy wondered. She shared a seat belt with Bryan. Mabel and I shared, and Soos sat up front. Obviously, Stan was driving.

"And how is everyone else getting there?" Soos questioned.

"Oi. So many questions!" Stan complained. "No, I don't think there's a specific law against overcrowding a car, and the other people are taking a bus."

He'd explained to us that we'd we going to the Oregon Vortex, a mysterious place where gravity and dimension seemed to almost be reversed. It was in southwest Oregon, kind of close to the coast and the Oregon-California border.

He revved up the engine, and we were off.

**Mabel**

The drive was long and tedious. Sure, Stan broke a few rules of the road, but we made it there in a day.

We drove past a sign advertising the tourist destination we were headed for.

"Grunkle Stan, I think we just passed it," Dipper said pointing to a dilapidated wooden shack that was practically on its side.

"No no no. It's not the tourist trap we're looking for," Stan replied.

At that moment, the car veered off the road and headed straight for a cliff at an alarming speed.

"What're you trying to do? Get us killed?" Wendy screamed, panicked, as the car made its way for the ledge.

And we were off. The car had nothing beneath it except for air. It fell gently, and slower than I would've expected it to. Then I realized we were upside down. And the car fell faster.

Everyone in the vehicle screamed for their life, including Bryan, which didn't make much sense, since he wouldn't get killed from this. But die or not, the experience was still terrifying.

The fabric roof smashed into the side of the cliff, a jagged chunk of rock piercing it. Everyone in the back seat screamed louder and moved towards the windows.

It bounced off of that, and landed on the ground on its front, smashing the lights and crumpling the first half of the convertible. Slowly and creakily, it fell to the ground. Silence filled the car. I wonder if everyone else's necks hurt too.

"Didn't think he'd still be here," Stan muttered. "After all these years." The doors fell off the sides of the car in unison. "Dipper. Mabel," he said a bit louder. "It's about time you met your great uncle Stanley."


	6. Who to the What Now?

**Bill**

Oh joy! A bus! No.

I hated buses. Buses hated me. It worked out just fine as long as neither of us had to be inside the other. And yes, I have had a bus inside me before. Don't ask.

"Bryan should've taken the bus instead of one of us!" Blake whined. "He would love it! He'd be all like, 'Oh! I want to be a person when I grow up Mommy!'" he mocked in a high-pitched squeal of a voice. I couldn't help but snicker. "Get over it!"

"I just think _someone's_ jealous that someone _else_ got a ride with Ice!" I joked.

He blushed, and his pale complexion made it obvious that it was now full of colour.

"Wait seriously? That's it?!" I asked amusedly. "Wow."

"Woowee! I got myself a bus ticket!" Hand screeched from behind us.

"Yes! We know! We're already on the bus!" Blake snapped. He and the girl both seemed to represent opposite aspects of ice. She was smooth and cool, like the type of ice you'd go skating on. He, however, was frigid and sharp and dangerous, more like a collection of gigantic icicles that wanted to drop and kill you at any second.

The bus sped off, and that was that.

**Blake**

We had to get on to about four different buses. At each stop, Bill turned back into a pyramid for a few seconds in private until the next bus came. I'm surprised at how smoothly things went, considering how Bill is infamous with buses, or so I've heard. Did I tell you about that one time when a bus wound up inside him? No? I really should tell you sometime. It's a great story!

Anyway, we travelled through the woods. It took up the rest of the day. We'd have to get Llama tomorrow. I'm not really feeling that descriptive-y right now.

There were a lot of trees. The bus was slow. People were noisy. I got ticked off several times. All that good stuff. You get the gist.

Our last bus parked a dirt lot. I could see a tilted wooden building from there. It reminded me of the Mystery Shack. Old and wooden, falling apart. I think it was even called the House of Mystery or something. I guess mystery runs in the Pines family or something. Apparently, it also runs with Bryan and me.

The bus hissed to a stop, and the tourists exited the vehicle. I followed suit. Star and Hand were right behind Bill.

Not including Llama, we had everyone we needed. And all we had to was to get Glasses was walk off a cliff. No biggie. Not like we're going to _die_ or something like that.

Here goes nothing.

**Bryan**

"The who-to-the-what-now?" Mabel asked.

I wondered if Glasses would at least recognize me. It was getting late, and in this world I was getting tired, and when I get tired I get crabbier than usual, so if he didn't recognize me, I might just blow my top.

Wouldn't that be fun now? A seriously ticked off demon of lightning rampaging through the Oregon wilderness. Maybe I'd be the start of another tourist trap; there seemed to be so many up here. Come one! Come all! See the seriously ticked off demon of lightning rampaging through the Oregon wilderness!

Okay, maybe not. But it was good in theory!

"You're great uncle Stanley. He's my twin. He kinda hid himself away from civilization. Paranormal thingamabobs seem to follow him everywhere. Gnomes would always be stalking him back in Gravity Falls. Now here, things are all warped and twisted. His last few weeks back home were spent spying on McGucket, trying to get these mystical journals for God-knows-why!" Fez explained.

"Actually, uh, I know why. And as cool as it would be, I'm not God," I said timidly. If Glasses really was trying to get the journals for us, then he'd recognize me! Finally, someone would!

"Then let's hear it!" the old man demanded.

"The journals were supposed to belong to me, Blake, and Bill," I said. "Pine Tree here has what's supposed to be mine."

"You have a journal, Dipper?" he asked, apparently shocked by that statement.

"Uh, yeah?" Pine Tree, I mean Dipper, replied.

"So, are we just gonna sit here, or..." Ice reminded.

Screaming filled the air above us.

I assumed that it was our little friends who had to take the bus. Bill and I probably should have switched rides. He has awful memories when it comes to buses. One time a bus was actually _in_ him! Can you imagine that? A bus being _inside_ of you?

Anyway, my assumption was correct. Blake landed on the hard ground, barely even making an _oomph, _and was on his feet as soon as he landed. He brushed the dirt off his arms, and made his way towards the car.

Bill morphed into a triangle in midair, and flipped upside down inches above the ground, so that his front side was facing up. Star, Hand, and Scarred Heart fell next, screaming for their lives. Unlike Bill, Blake, or me, they would die.

One after the other, they vanished, swallowed by Bill. He has this neat little trick where he can stop an object's time frame for a little bit while everything else is still going on. It's pretty cool.

He spun around so that he was facing the ground now, and released his captives. Star, Hand, Scarred Heart.

"You wanna get out of the car, or whatever?" Fez reminded. The six of us buzzed in agreement. Ice unclipped our seat belt (is that the right word? Unclipped?) and I flung open the door. Scarred Heart had been standing right outside the car, and he jumped back with a start when I opened the door.

"Watch it!" he spat.

"Does anyone actually know where Stanley is? Like, I know he's _here_, but where here?" Dipper questioned.

"Follow me," Fez muttered gravely. Something had happened between these two. Something bad. That much I could tell.

But what I couldn't tell was what.

**Dipper**

An eery sense of dusk filled the forest. Besides the constant sound of crickets in the background, it was completely silent. No one dared speak. Thankfully, even Gideon, Robbie, and Old Man McGucket.

This day was officially the strangest day of my life.

It started out as a morning stroll by the lake to get some fresh air. Next thing you know, we're whisked away by some psychotic demons that want to use us for some sort of prophecy. Not to mention that now we too are apparently demons, and we have a Great Uncle Stanley. What kind of parent names their kids Stanford and Stanley? And maybe the Ciphers weren't exactly psychotic, but it helps emphasize my point.

The Ciphers were pretty interesting. Fire, ice, and lightning. Mind, time, and space.

Fire, ice, and lightning.*

Why did that feel familiar? It was on the tip of my tongue! This was going to bug me all night. Maybe it'd come to me in a dream. Maybe.

"Okay. Here it is," I heard Grunkle Stan announce solemnly from up ahead. Why did he not want to see Stanley again? It was almost like he despised him for being alive. Weird.

That woke me up from my daydreams, and I looked in front of us to see what Stan was motioning towards. A wooden shack, practically identical to the Mystery Shack, sat in the middle of the woods.

"Is anyone else getting the creeps out here?" Soos asked, rubbing his arms.

"No. But I get that there's a creep out here," Stan huffed as he marched towards the building. "This is not going to be fun."

Mabel

Two Stans?! I wonder if this one smells funny too. Maybe, instead of smelling like old milk, he'll smell like sour milk! And yes, there is a difference between the two of them. I'm not sure what it is, but there is a difference.

In the fading light, the shack almost looked grey. As we got closer, I noticed that this, too, had a sign on it. But it didn't look like it was written in any language I'd ever seen. PQXKIBV'P PEXZH. Strangeness.

Chills ran down my spine, and the frigid nighttime air didn't help calm it.

I heard a twig snap behind us. We all spun around to face it.

I saw the glint of glass in the moonlight. "Relax!" said a familiarly gruff voice. "It's just me, your great uncle Stan!"


	7. Ciphers and Pines

**Bill**

No. No. No! No! Nonononononononononononononononononononono! No! Nope! Uh-uh! I was refusing to accept this. My insides churned. No. No. No! Not Stanley! Stanford and Stanley. This had to be the worst day of my life. And I've been cursed to be a floating triangle before. That shows how much I absolutely _despise_ the Stans. Ciphers and Pines have never gotten along...

No.

"I thought we agreed that _I_'m Stan and _you_'re Stan_ley_," Fez complained.

"Bill, Blake, Bryan. Good to see you again!" Glasses smirked, ignoring his twin's comment. "Stanford! You too!" I rolled my eyes. _Yeah, good for _you_! _I thought.

"_STAN_!" Fez shouted.

"Oh! And they must be Dipper and Mabel!" He pointed to Pine Tree and Shooting Star. "I've been looking forward to meeting you two!" he explained to the twins.

"Wait. How can both of you be our great uncles? Shouldn't one of you be our grandfather?" Pine Tree realized.

"Smart one you got there, Stanford," Glasses chuckled.

Fez stared at him with a face as solemn as stone.

"Geez, always so serious!" he joked.

"Agree to disagree," Fez stated simply. Whatever had happened between them, Stanley was eagerly trying to make up for, but Stan wanted nothing to do with it.

"C'mon! Lighten up a bit."

"Hmph."

"Seriously though. What?" Pine Tree persisted. "We never really knew our grandpa on our Dad's side anyway."

"Technically, I'm your dad's dad. Grandpa, if you will. But that tile is kind of strange to me, especially since, you said it yourself, kid. You never really knew me. Just call me what you call him, but apparently, he's not letting me go by Stan, so add 'ley' to the end of it. Makes sense?"

Pine Tree managed a nod. So should I call him Fezley?

I noticed Ice yawning and rubbing her eyes in tiredness. I guess Fezley did too.

"Yeah. It's getting late." He pointed up past the gargantuan pine trees to the indigo nighttime sky spattered in silvery, twinkling stars. Night in the Oregon forest really was beautiful. And I'm not the type of guy who pays attention to the beauty of nature and all that junk. So that's saying something. "How's about we head on in to the Shack?" he grinned.

**Blake**

"What do you mean, the Shack?" Shooting Star piped up. I wish she had stayed piped down. I know she hadn't asked many questions lately, but it still agitated me.

Questions and kids are my pet peeves. Oh yeah! And Bryan. It sucks that all of them are necessary right now. Except for maybe the last one.

"Yes, the Shack! See those words up there? I though hey taught you how too read in... Oh," Glasses started, realizing in the middle of his rampage that the words were coded. "Sorry about that. It says Stanley's Shack. It's in Caesarian, a code that requires one to go back three letters in the alphabet. It comes in handy. I'll teach it to you later, along with some other nifty tricks I've learned in my sixty-seven years of life," he explained.

"We're just here to pick you up," Fez spat.

Glasses froze in place. "For what?"

"Tell 'em," Fez urged, motioning towards Bill.

So, we gave him a simplified version of the basic run-down we'd given everyone.

"Yeah, yeah. I know, I know. I'll do it. I was already planning on doing it. But do you even know what to do once you have everyone?" Argh! Questions! I especially hated ones I couldn't answer!

But somewhere in the midst of my raging irritation, a cold sensation, and much more unpleasant than snow or ice or cold weather, formed.

It was the truth setting in, and it hit me like snowball (I like the snow). We had no idea whatsoever as to what our next step was.

"You're the master of ciphers! And not us! I mean codes! You can help us figure something out, right?" Bryan inquired. It was the first time I'd heard him speak in a long time. It'd been since earlier today. Usually, he was yapping my ear off. When we were awake, of course. It was weird, but peaceful, not having to be constantly listening to his voice.

"Maybe I can work something out. But let's get all of you inside before you freeze, even though I'm sure Blake, you'd like that," Stanley smiled. I liked this guy.

**Bryan**

"Hm. How about, hot chocolate for Dipper and Mabel, ice water for Blake, coffee for McGucket, Pitts for Gideon, Wendy, and Bill, lemonade for Bryan, Greenbull for Robbie, milk for Soos, and Stan, you can help yourself to whatever you want," Glasses announced As he stirred himself a cup of tea. Hot chocolate in the middle of summer? Then again, it was pretty cold out.

We all sat around a beat-up, three-legged wooden coffee table. The other leg had been replaced by a stack of books that weren't quite as tall as the rest of the legs, so the table sat in an awkward tilt.

An awkward tilt for an awkward group. Question Mark, Pine Tree, Shooting Star, and Wendy made small talk with each other, but the rest of us remained silent. I swear I could see the wheels in Fez's head turning. I watched Glasses prepare our drinks, pouring various liquids into residue stained glasses in a kitchen cluttered with plates and books.

The books.

Tis place shouldn't be called Stanley's Shack. It should be named The Ultimate Library.

Books and papers filled every spare nook and cranny in this building. Most of them nonfictional, about the supernatural, secret societies, conspiracies, codes, important historical documents and people, stuff like that. There was even one about Blake, Bill, and I. That was pretty cool. But there were a few mysteries and thrillers, etc. All of Stephen King's works, and a few Sibling Brothers/Sherlock Holmes type books. Sherlock Holmes scares the lifeblood out of me. Sherlockaphobia. Seriously. Returning to the original subject matter, I doubt there's this many books in one place anywhere in the world. It's incredible. Pine Tree had to love it there.

Glasses joined our gathering carrying cups on his arms, shoulders, and in his hands like a pro waiter. He even slid them to the right person.

Three ice cubes floated in a bright yellow liquid in front of me. I took a sip and the sweetly sour flavor found a home in my memory. A good home.

"What, nothing for your brother?" Fez whined jokingly as Glasses passed around the refreshments.

"I spent many years researching the secrets of Gravity Falls, and you still prove to be the biggest mystery of all," our host jested.

An unwelcome grin spread across Fez's face. Quickly enough, though, he forced his mouth back into a frown.

"You grew up with me and have no idea what I'm interested in, and yet you somehow can give a group of total strangers exactly what they want. Maybe you're even more psychic than Gideon here!"

The kid stood up hastily and opened his mouth to say something in response to that insult, but nothing came. So he just sat back down.

"Maybe... But they're not strangers. I've kept a close eye on every single one of them, excluding the Ciphers," Glasses mumbled as he sat down on the floor across the table from Star. He held his mug full of tea in his palm. Wisps of steam trailed off of the dark surface. "'Kay fine. There's some brown meat in the fridge. Help yourself."

"Yes!" Stan exclaimed. He seemed to be growing more comfortable, however, still unforgiving, around Stanley. "It's apocalicious!" His sibling amusedly rolled his eyes as the one with the clever catch phrase made his way over to the refrigerator.

"So. Let's get down to business," Glasses said.

**Dipper**

Stanley looked pretty much exactly like Stan, except his hair was slightly longer and messier, he was more clean-shaven, his glasses were thinner, and instead of underwear or a suit, he wore a dirty black t-shirt and ripped jeans along with some worn down a hiking shoes. A scar ran down his left cheek and ended just above his rib cage. It started right below his left eye, which, along with his right one, both had incredibly dark circles under them.

In other news, I was _EXHAUSTED_. With a capital everything. This had basically been the longest day ever. My body felt like it was about to collapse. The only reason I was forcing myself awake right now was to read some of these books later. They were everywhere, and seemed really interesting. And I had to at least try and focus on what was happening in terms of this whole prophecy business.

My eyelids shut. I began to drift off... Had this all really happened in one day?

"You need my help," Stanley confirmed with the Ciphers. "And I'm perfectly willing to help you. On one condition."

"And what might that be?" Bill questioned suspiciously, raising his eyebrow. He had long ago returned to the shape of a triangle.

"You call a truce between the Pines and Ciphers." Silence filled the room. I couldn't tell what anyone was thinking, but I was confused. Stan's eyes flitted nervously around the room, and Stanley sat there, arms crossed, with a smug look of victory on his face, as if he'd already won whatever this was.

"I'm going to bed," Robbie said flatly. He exited into the next room over, where Stanley had laid out various, worn blankets and sleeping bags. 'Memoirs of his glory days' he called them. If sleeping bags and blankets reminded him of whatever the heck his glory days were, that's sad.

Wendy followed him. Strange. But my mind was far too tired out to think about Wendy's affairs with Robbie right now.

One thing at a time.

"Interesting proposition," the triangle noted after a while of soundlessness.

"It's not interesting at all! Any sane person would want for anything but these two innocent souls to get punished by the same form of torment that my brother and I have undergone, as did my children!" Stanley raged.

"Fair enough," Blake fleered. "Now can we get some rest?" He yawned.

"Wow. Just. Wow. You spend three thousand years sleeping, and after one day you want to sleep some more. Okay then," Bryan mocked.

"Well it is getting late." Bill pulled a surprisingly large pocket watch out of thin air, stuffing it back into oblivion, or, most likely, the Void, as soon as its purpose was fulfilled.

Finally. Sleep. I rubbed my eye and yawned. I think this is the most tired I have ever been in my entire life.

I managed to get into the next room, but as soon as I did, I tumbled on to the first piece of sleepable fabric I saw (sleepable is now a word).

Sleep washed over me, like a wave of calming, freezing water.

**Mabel**

Stanley was weird. And he didn't smell like sour milk. Maybe he and Stan weren't really twins, then. But he did smell like burning wood. Like a campfire!

"Haven't been back here in forever!" I heard Grunkle Stan mutter behind me.

"Yeah. How's the original doing?" his twin replied in a whisper.

"She's doin' good. I still need to show the kids the basement, though," Stan said.

Is he talking about the Mystery Shack? What basement?

My brain formed the questions, but due to lack of energy, it couldn't process them.

I saw Dipper had already fallen asleep. He'd be lovely tomorrow morning. If there's anything you should know about Dippingsauce, he _cannot_ function on not enough sleep. Unless, of course, he stays up reading or whatever. Then he's fine.

Robbie and Wendy lied on opposite sides of the room.

I found an olive green sleeping bag with a red, brown, and cream plaid pattern inside.

This would be a nice place to let myself fall into a certain stare of unconsciousness.

I crawled into the bag.

Come to me sleep!


	8. Welcome, Dierdre!

**Bill**

I couldn't sleep. I yawned once, but besides that, I couldn't even tell if I was tired. Obviously not, though, seeing as I wasn't off in dreamland with everyone else.

Everyone except for Stanley, that is.

He sat next to me on a ratty green couch as we stared at everyone's unconscious bodies spread out across the floor. He stared at the twins, mostly.

"What are you thinking about right now?" I asked quietly and surprisingly straightforward.

"Why don't you find out?" he grinned.

"Eh. Don't feel like it right now," I mumbled. Stanley nodded.

"It's weird seeing them in person," he said. Pine Tree and Shooting Star. He didn't have to say it. I knew what he meant.

"What time is it?" I asked, rubbing my eye. Maybe I was tired.

Stanley stood up and walked out the door at the other end of the room, making sure not to step on anyone. I could see the silvery moonlight spilling over the mossy forest floor through the now open doorway.

He swiveled his head around to look at me. It reminded me of an owl. "About eleven-ish," he said.

I cast him a questioning glance.

"I don't get much electricity down here, so I have to rely on the sun, moon, and stars for things like keeping track of time," he explained in response. He carefully made his way back over to the couch. "I'm goin' to bed."

He curled up in a ball on the two cushions that I wasn't hovering above. Next thing I knew, he was asleep. Weird.

I think I should sleep too. Or maybe I should pay Blake and Bryan a visit!

**Blake**

_A burst of blue light interrupted my sleep. Bill. Of course. His form materialized in my mind as soon as I realized hat was happening._

_"Hey there guys!" he announced._

Guys? Does that mean you're in Bryan's too? _I thought to him._

_"Uh-huh! I was bored, so, ya know..." he trailed off._

_"Why didn't _you_ just sleep then?" I heard Bryan's voice call out._

Great. Bryan's not getting any sleep. That's _just_ great! _I thought_. If I don't get enough rest, that's one thing. But if he doesn't, let's just say I'm glad I can't die.

_"Don't worry! You're both still asleep!" Bill assured us._

_"Yeah, but since our minds have to work so hard to communicate with you, it kinda counteracts the _resting_ part of sleep," Bryan reminded him._

_"Seriously? You guys had thousands of years of sleeping, and _I'm_ the one who isn't tired?!" Bill exclaimed._

I guess so. Now get the heck out of here!

_"Fine. But you're no fun!" Bill whined as he vanished. _

_I know._

_That's better._

**Bryan**

_Thank you for leaving, Bill._

**Dipper**

I felt something jostling my shoulder. No, not some_thing_, some_one_.

I groaned.

"Come on! Get up!" I heard the person say.

"Grunkle Stan?" I mumbled.

"Sure."

I could feel my body being lifted into the standing position.

"C'mon, kid. Wake up!"

I decided Stan wasn't going to let me fall back asleep.

I lifted my eyelids. Between my half-open eyes and the complete and utter darkness that surrounded us, I couldn't see much. But the bits and pieces of the walls that I did see didn't look the Shack. Books everywhere. Stan didn't like books.

But Stanley did.

The events of yesterday rushed back to me, invading my mind like a flood.

I groaned again.

It felt like a dream. Shoulda been a...

I was exhausted. I couldn't even finish a thought.

Ignis! Ice! Fulminis!

Where did that come from?

Fire! Ice! Lightning!

The Void. Levitation Rises.

Bill! Blake! Bryan!

The Gleefuls. The journal.

McGucket wrote the journals.

How could he write about all three of them if he only knew Bill?

Questions.

Exhaustion.

Sleep.

Not an option.

I knew it would come to me in my sleep.

"Hey Dipper!" Mabel yawned from behind me. "What's happening?"

"I have no idea."

"Follow me," Stan ordered, and I realized that it had been Stanley that woke us, not Stan.

Mabel leaned on my shoulder, trying to catch one last wink of sleep before whatever was going to happen next. Because if I've learned anything from this summer, it's to expect the unexpected and be prepared for anything.

Stanley picked up a lantern from a desk hidden in the nighttime darkness somewhere.

"Mabel. Get off me. Mabel!" I managed. It almost felt like she was trying to put as much of her weight on me as possible, so that she didn't have to deal with it.

She made a grumbling sound and unwillingly separated her head from my back.

I was starting to wake up a little more now.

Mabel still looked like a zombie marionette. Puppets and the undead all in one package. Not good.

Because of the drowsiness, it felt like the trek out the door took ten minutes, but it probably only took one or two.

The silver glow of the moon filled the woods, creating an eerie affect that made me feel like I was trapped in ice.

"Are you ready?" Stanley smirked as he walked past us and set his lantern down on a nearby tree stump.

"For what?" I retorted. Sleeplessness made me snappy.

"Training," he replied calmly.

"What's happening?" Mabel repeated.

"Snap out of it, Mabel!" I whispered.

"What time is it?" she questioned tiredly.

"Almost three," Stanley nodded.

"WHAT?!" she screeched, her eyes bursting open. "In the morning?!"

"Good! You're awake!" Stanley laughed.

Mabel humphed.

"What kind of training?" I asked, ignoring my sister's outburst.

"The training neither your father nor your great uncle had the guts to give you."

"That can't mean anything good," Mabel said quietly. But out here in the silent forest, she could've been screaming.

"You'd be surprised," the man remarked. "It has to do with your demonic powers."

Right. We're demons. It would have been nice to let that continue to be forgotten. I could use some seriously unnecessary language right now. Nah.

"What about it?" Mabel inquired.

"I know Stanford didn't give you much information. That's where I come in. He told you that he's in charge of the luck department, am I right?" he began. Mabel and I nodded. "He's not. He can affect the positivity, negativity, and neutralization in any outcome. Basically he can control how things end up, which is practically synonymous with luck. I can tap into the mindscape and see what's happening anywhere at any given moment. Pine Tree, I mean Dipper, you are capable of switching bodies with another living organism. Shoo... Mabel. You can make copies of yourself. Clones, if you will. Much like when you and Dipper discovered my old copy machine. In fact, when I used to live at the Mystery Shack, I made the copier and rug to mimick your powers. You weren't born yet, but the Pines family repeats itself."

"Cool!" Mabel exclaimed. "Multiple Mabels! That's an alliteration! Whoa. So is 'an alliteration'!" All signs of sleepiness had vanished from her.

"I'll train you in-" Stanley began, but got cut off by a loud popping sound.

"Hi, I'm Mabel!" I heard someone say.

"Yay!" It was Mabel's voice.

Oh no.

**Mabel**

This. Is. AWESOMENESS!

A total replica of me stood behind Dipper, grinning. Dip rolled his eyes and Stanley chuckled. It was like having an _identical_ twin! If I was going to be a twin, I'd rather be identical than whatever the heck _non_-identical twins are called. I'm still too tired to remember. It's like fraternal or something weird like that.

There was one difference, though. Her sweater was just plain navy blue. It didn't have a yellow anchor embroidered onto it like mine.

"I'll call you Number Two!" I announced.

"Clones don't like to have numbers for names!" Dipper warned.

"How would you know?" I asked.

"At Stan's party I made a bunch of clones to perfect my plan with Wendy," he explained.

"So that's where you were!" I realized. "Okay, okay. How about Dierdre? I've always liked that name!"

"No way! So did I!" Dierdre cried out.

"You've only been around for like, forty seconds," Dipper pointed out. "Oh. And stay away from liquids. Water, soda, etcetera."

"Oh yeah. That was the flaw with the copy machine. She'll be fine around liquids. Just don't let her anywhere near parrots," Stanley informed me. It felt limore was explaining how a car worked instead of a human.

"Why parrots?" Seriously. Why parrots?

"Because I know you have a slight case of ornithophobia. Any weaknesses in the demon get amplified in their copies," Stanley told me.

"How do you know so much about, well, everything?" Dipper asked.

"Puh-lenty of reading. I've lost count of how many books I own!"

"Have you read all of them?" Dierdre asked, saying out loud the same question I'd been thinking.

"Yes, actually. Several times."

"Sev'ral Timez!" Dierdre and I squealed simultaneously.

I think I was going to like this.


	9. The Cipher Book

**Bill**

I'm pretty sure there had only been _one_ Shooting Star before this morning.

"Stanley!" Fez spat through the Shooting Stars chatter. "What's going on?! I know you know!"

"Relax! She's just... Getting used to herself," Glasses smirked, a knowing glint in his eyes.

Fez huffed and walked away.

Honestly, Shooting Star and her newfound twin were driving me deeper into the pit of insanity. People say I have an annoying voice. They've never had to listen to _this_.

"Shut. UP!" I roared once I'd had heard enough obnoxious sounds to last a lifetime.

Immediately, they were silent. Thankfully.

Blake sent me a grateful glance.

"Okay people! Listen up! We need to find Llama today! We have ideas on who it might be, but nothing legitament," I explained to the group.

"Ooh! Who do you think it is?" Shooting Star Jr. asked excitedly.

I glared at her.

"Who are you again? 'Cause I'm pretty sure you didn't _exist_ before today," I snapped. The girl's face flushed, making her cheeks even redder than usual.

"Oh yeah!" the original realized. I could tell she was the original because there was an anchor on her sweater, and, in case you've forgotten, I'm an all-knowing triangle. "Everyone, meet Dierdre. I made her last night. Dierdre, meet everyone!"

I bet Star was already wondering if Dierdre would go out with him, since Shooting Star wouldn't. He was absolutely smitten with her. It was kind of disgusting. So I didn't blame her for being creeped out by him. Poor Dierdre.

"I guess I'll fix us breakfast then?" Glasses suggested. "Hey! Three Bs! So you guys need something to eat?" he asked us.

"No!" Bryan replied, a little too quickly. "We do not," he added, slower. The cheeseburger incident must've traumatized him or something.

"Suit yourself. I make a mean pancake!" he laughed as he made his way into the kitchen.

The day had barely begun, but I knew it was going to be a long one.

**Blake**

Why, Bryan? Why?

Those pancakes smell so amazing.

And he made bacon too.

Dierdre and Shooting Star refused to eat theirs, and I was able to snag one. I think I have a new favorite food. I didn't even have an old favorite food. But this beats _everything_! I think I should eat more bacon from now on.

The group was spread out across the room. Some were at the table, a few were on the sofa, and some were on the floor. No matter where they sat, syrup still managed to find a place on the ground.

Star was already trying to flirt, in vain, with Dierdre. That kid was evil. At one point, he possessed the Mystic Amulet/Demon Stone thingy, so I automatically hated him. Not to mention, he was greedy, conceited, and self-centered. And yes, I'm aware that conceited and self-centered are practically the same thing. It helps emphasize my point.

"How're things?" Glasses asked jokingly as he sat down beside me, apparently finished with his morning meal.

"Oh, you know, the usual stuff. Just sleeping, Bryan being annoyingly peppy, Bill being annoyingly determined to fulfill this prophecy," I told him.

"A lot of things annoy you, don't they?" he smirked.

"Yep. Questions, kids, my brothers, having to wear something that isn't this suit, hot weather, that Star guy, that Scarred Heart guy, long conversations, this prophecy, cocky people, cute things, when people don't recognize me and Bryan, Bryan, Bill, and, oh yeah! Bryan."

He simply raised his eyebrows in amusement. I could tell what he was thinking, though.

For a while, we just stared at the books that lined the walls.

"Ya know, there's something I should show you," he said eventually.

"What?"

"Follow me."

I did, and he led me to yet another room of the library.

"You should consider changing the name of this place to 'Stanley's Ultimate Library' or something," I sniggered.

"Eh. The sign's too hard to move," he defended.

He rolled onto his toes while his eyes scanned a shelf. His finger traced along the dusty spines of books that probably hadn't been touched in ages. His eyes lit up when he found whatever it was that he had been searching for.

"Here." He handed me a worn book who's cover appeared to have been replaced with what would have to have been the world's thickest layer of dust. But I cleared most of it off with an enormous exhale. It was a journal-like book, somewhat similar to Hand's, but thinner.

The front had probably been black at one time, but over the years, it had faded into a more silvery shade.

On it was a purple flame inside of a white rectangle a with a blueish bolt of lightning running through the middle. The ink was fading away as well as the rest of the cover, but I could still make out the design.

No words. But I didn't need to be told what it meant. I just gawked at it.

"Maybe not _everyone_ recognizes all three of you, but hardcore demonologists, alchemists, and members of secret societies, like the Royal Order of the Holy Mackerel, such as myself, do. Stanford didn't get quite as into that stuff as I did. Currently, he's only interested in monetary ordeals. I still can't believe he turned the Shack into a _tourist trap_!" He spat the last sentence with such hatred, I was almost scared by the amount of loathing existed in his voice.

I wasn't quite sure how to respond to that kind of outburst. But Glasses solved my problem for me.

"Sorry. But I hope you like it. It was incredibly hard to find. I doubt it's very accurate, but it's something. You're not completely forgotten."

I smiled. That's always good, when you feel recognized.

I flipped to the first page. The words were printed by some ancient press, but were still visible enough to read.

_"Six elements that are what make up both the physical and non-physical versions of the universe. Fire, Ice, and Lightning belong to the first category, while Space, Time, and the Mind are included in the latter. There are three representatives for every two elements. These representatives are three demons, born with the universe itself: Bill, Blake, and Bryan Cipher._

_"Bill Cipher belongs to Fire and the Mind._

Bill belongs to his powers? I never looked at it that way before. I suppose the same thing goes for Bryan and I, but I still like that frame of mind.

This morning was amazing. I now had a favorite food _and_ a favorite book.

I needed to keep reading!

**Bryan**

Wendy had sat next to me for breakfast.

It made me start to regret my reply to Glasses' offer of food. It smelled amazing.

"So you can control fire and time?" she checked.

"Nah," I laughed. "Bill's got fire, and Blake's got time. I have lightning and space!"

"Cool. So you can just like, making lightning bolts come out of your fingers?"

"Uh, sorta. You see..."

"Close enough," she interrupted.

"What is that?" I asked, pointing to the flat, doughy, morsel that occupied her plate, as well as a viscous brown liquid.

"What? Pancakes?" she replied.

Pancakes and cheeseburger. Food has seriously weird names.

"I guess."

"Is there no food or something wherever it is you come from?"

"Yeah. No sustenance in the Void. Just sleeping and talking. I'm the ticket out."

"'Cause you can warp space or whatever?"

"Sure."

I closed my eyes to relax, but Blake's hollering interrupted my two seconds of zen mode.

"Bryan!"

"What?!" I groaned, whipping my eyes open with agitation.

"Come look at this!" he called. Surprisingly, he didn't sound in the least bit irritated.

If it didn't annoy Blake, then this was something I had to see.

I stood abruptly and made my way over to him. I caught a glance of Wendy's lonely eyes as I left her, which struck me as strange, because she seemed like the type of person who can go off to another person and talk the them without missing the previous conversation partner.

"What?" I sighed once I found him, deep in the book labyrinth.

He upheld out a silvery book that was open to a page that had an old drawing of three guys grinning menacingly over a town that was entirely lit on fire. A ring of icicles jutting up from the ground ran in a circle around the town, and condemned any people who were unfortunate enough to be trapped in there to a fiery death. Bolts of electricity pounded down on the establishment from above.

It didn't take me long to realize what the picture was of.

"_Oh_. _My_..." was all I could manage. "What?"

"It's a book about the Ciphers," Blake stated matter-of-factly. "Remember that time when we forgot to put ourselves to sleep, before Bill got cursed, and all three of us went temporarily insane?"

"Oh yeah! That was fun!"

Blake gave a smirk and rolled his eyes.

"Come on!" I badgered. "You had a _little_ bit of fun!"

After a few tries, he finally nodded.

"Let me read this!" I exclaimed, excitedly snatching the strange book from my brother's hands.

**Author's Note: I know, I know. It's only half a chapter. But I haven't had much time to write lately, and some of you are expecting an update. The full chapters are difficult to write in a respectble amount of time, since it's practically five chapters rolled into one. This might be the length of the rest of the chapters from now on. One Bill/Blake/Bryan, and one Dipper/Mabel.**


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